October 13, 2016

Community

Crucial court hearing for Steward Wood

 

You may remember the Steward Community Woodland Group from our previous article ‘Dartmoor community eviction‘. There’s a little summary downpage.

Since then, the Woodlanders have graciously thanked all for their support, but their current situation calls for even more support from the public. The self-sufficient group has decided to challenge their loss at court. Their latest Facebook post reads: “The most important thing happening at the moment is our High Court challenge of the Planning Inspector’s decision. Before our case can go ahead to a full hearing, a judge will decide whether we have a sufficient case to proceed”.

The judge has allowed them to do this orally which apparently indicates that they have a good chance of winning. If they win, they have to pay £10,000 and if they lose, it’ll be £15,000. They have asked anyone who is happy to help fund the legal fees to contact them via their website or Facebook page or call them on 01647 440233.

More updates as they come.

 

STEWARD WOOD BACKGROUND SUMMARY

  • The group is made up of 23 men, women, and children, who live off-grid in Dartmoor National Park in Devon
  • They have lived peacefully side by side with nature for 15 years in the park on temporary planning permission
  • The park authorities are now ordering them out on the grounds that they are having a “harmful impact on the character and appearance of the Devon park”
  • The same authorities are allowing property developers to make millions building hundreds of homes.  See our new video here
  • Their appeal was rejected on the 10th August 2016

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Off-Grid Ales, coming to a store near you

 

 

Off-Grid Ale’s owners Randy and Denise Rowe have lived in a solar-powered home on Harvey Lake in New Brunswick, Canada for seven years.  Now they’re opening an off-grid brewery on their isolated, idyllic land.

 

Although their home is powered by renewable energy, Randy confessed that the workplace “wasn’t necessarily to be off-grid.” But with the nearest power lines kilometers away and a real pull to the area, it worked out like that. “We didn’t have a grid here, but we really liked the location.”The brewery will depend on solar and wind power to operate.

 

To ensure consistency in their brews, Off-Grid Ales relies on a propane system for heating. “You can’t produce a lot of electricity without spending a lot of money so basically, we have to do everything very energy-efficiently,” said Randy.

 

The couple plans on having four different beers including a red, a double IPA and should be out on store shelves in Canada this fall.

The couple had always dreamed of building a brewery branch on their little slice of heaven; “We love it out here” said Denise Rowe. “It is quiet. It is peaceful. I go for runs on our five-kilometre driveway. “…

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